


Foolsong

by drvcos



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Modern Era, Online Dating, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:09:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25039771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drvcos/pseuds/drvcos
Summary: Zuko woke up with a pounding headache and 43 matches on Tinder.orZuko is an idiot trying to get over a breakup, Sokka is a hockey boy, and online dating isn't really that awful.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 105
Kudos: 1696





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! 
> 
> this is my first ever zukka fic and i hope some of you enjoy it! this work is supposed to be very silly and light-hearted :) inspiration just hit me one day and i had to write this dumbassery before it drove me insane
> 
> please keep it in mind that english is not my first language so mistakes are bound to happen! honestly this fic is completely self-indulgent so i don't care that much lmao feel free do message me about any corrections if you want to! my tumblr is vndrewminyard
> 
> important: when texting, zuko is _italicized_ and sokka is **bolded**  
>  also, this is a modern setting au and i used locations from the avatar universe, but there are no other elements of canon present

Zuko woke up with a pounding headache and 43 matches on Tinder. His phone's constant notifications had proven to be enough to rise him from the dead. He didn’t quite know if the feeling of dread clawing up his throat was nausea or deep regret.

To say that the previous night had been rough was an understatement.

Zuko got up from the couch he apparently had passed out on and ran towards Mai and Ty Lee's once pristine bathroom to throw up all the sake he had drunk in the previous hours. How many bottles had they gone through? How did those women have so much alcohol stashed in such a small apartment? Witchery, Zuko assumed.

"What a pleasant noise to wake up," Mai muttered dryly from where she was leaning against the doorway.

Zuko had only enough energy to lift up his middle finger and proceeded to retch into the toilet once more.

"There's coffee in the kitchen if you manage to survive the next five minutes," Ty Lee chirped happily as she walked by the bathroom. She stopped briefly to peck Mai on the cheek in the process.

All that scene made Zuko groan and use his foot to nudge the door shut in Mai's amused face. He sighed deeply and slumped back against the cool tiles, his stomach finally deciding to give him a fucking break.

“I must have been a killer in my previous incarnation to deserve this shit,” Zuko mumbled to himself, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. “Fucking karma.”

Zuko rested his cheek against the wall for a few seconds and pushed his shaggy bangs away from his face, grimacing at how sweaty and gross they felt. Then, shoving his hand inside his pocket, he turned off his phone, finally stopping the obnoxious noise of the notifications that wouldn't stop coming.

"Why the fuck do I even have my notifications turned on?" Zuko asked himself gloomily.

The simple answer was because no one ever contacted Zuko, so there had been no previous reason to keep his phone on silent. He didn't have any friends beside his ex girlfriend and her girlfriend, which in itself was pretty depressing. Uncle Iroh called once a week to check up on him and that was the most action Zuko's phone experienced. Which again, was sad for a 23 year old university student.

Zuko groaned loudly and lifted himself up from the floor, hearing the faint "stop being a bitch" from Mai, muffled by the closed door. Fuck thin walls. Zuko ignored her and turned on the shower, because he smelled like one of Uncle's old socks. He stepped into the shower and almost moaned in relief as the cold water hit his overheated body. He found Mai's expensive shampoo and used half of the tube just to spite her. Because he felt like it and it gave him great joy in those trying times.

As he was scrubbing his body absentmindedly, flashes of the previous night attacked his brain without mercy. There definitely had been some crying and lots of sake. They also had played a lively game of darts using Jet's picture as the target. Finally, although Zuko wasn't sure who came up with the "let's-make-you-a-Tinder-profile" idea, he resented them very much.

He got out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white towel and smelling of coconuts and raspberries. Zuko threw his stinky clothes in the washing machine without saying a word to the two girls that watched him intently from the kitchen table.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you live here," Mai smirked as Zuko slumped dramatically on the vacant chair.

"Stop bullying me after I came back from the dead," Zuko bit back. "It's impolite."

"Let me tell you what's not polite," Mai started. “Always talking to yourself. That must be why you’re still single… Do you also do it while you’re having sex? A nice narration-”

Zuko opened his mouth to defend his almost nonexistent honor against those horrid attacks, but he didn’t continue once Ty Lee heavily plopped a coffee mug in front of him.

"I swear you two will drive me insane one of these days," Ty Lee sniffed, sitting back down. “You’re interfering with my chi.”

Zuko rolled his eyes and Mai kicked him under the table.

Mai was the closest thing to a sibling he had ever had (Azula didn't really count in Zuko's opinion), and their dynamic was a little bit chaotic. He guessed that it was what he deserved for having tried to date his best friend in an attempt to look straight a few years back. Mai still teased him for it every chance she got, even though she had also been figuring her sexuality back then. But she would probably stab Zuko if he mentioned that detail to anyone.

Zuko sometimes had a hard time understanding how someone as bubbly as Ty Lee worked so well with some as… stabby as Mai. Despite being so vastly different, Zuko had no doubt that they were made for each other. Ty Lee was a nice addition to their little family. It had been Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko against the world since Azula’s homophobic tendencies had broken their friendship apart.

“So…” Zuko finally set his phone on the table and took a sip of his coffee. “Tinder, really?”

Mai snorted and Ty Lee shrieked with excitement.

“Spirits, I had completely forgot about that!” Ty Lee clapped in delight. “That was one of my wisest ideas to date!”

“For sure, it is time this dumbass finds love,” Mai sighed. “I’m getting kind of tired of his constant crying and sleeping on our couch.”

“Hey!” Zuko cried with as much dignity as he was able to gather in his delicate state. “You said it was alright for me to crash here!”

“Yes, six months ago when Jet dumped you,” Ty Lee chipped in.

“I guess this is what you get for being nice...” Mai considered with mild disgust.

Zuko huffed, getting up. “If I’m so unwelcomed, I guess I should leave.”

“Well, you’re going to give quite a show walking down the street in your towel,” Ty Lee giggled. “At least wait to have some clothes on before doing your dramatic exit, alright?”

Zuko groaned for the millionth time that morning and sat back down resolutely. He crossed his arms against his chest and eyed Ty Lee wearily as she reached for his phone and turned it on.

“Do I even want to know what you are doing?” he asked, rubbing his hand against his scar.

While waiting for an answer, Zuko finally realised how tired he actually was by heavy ache he felt deep in his bones. He had been having a hard time sleeping, his insomnia an unwelcome friend that insisted on visiting every night. All he ever saw when he closed his eyes at night were flashes of Ozai, Azula and Jet, all daunting and horrible. Maybe they would finally succeed in driving him to insanity. That was the first night he had got more than 4 hours of sleep in months, thanks to all that sake.

“To see which boys liked you back on Tinder,” Ty Lee pulled him out of his thoughts.

Zuko thumped his forehead against the table and prayed that it was all a bad dream. “I don’t remember anything clearly from last night after our game of darts,” he said without moving from his position.

“Well, you were hugging the last bottle of sake and whining about how you wouldn’t ever be able to find true love,” Mai sipped her coffee with disinterest.

“So we had a very deep conversation of how you aren’t able to find love because you are emotionally constipated and lack basic social skills!” Ty Lee informed him with her eyes still glued to his phone.

“Stop it, you flatter me. I can’t possibly take all these compliments at once!”

Ty Lee pretended not to have heard him. “And I had the brilliant idea of making you a Tinder profile because it is an easy way to get to know people without all the pressure from face-to-face interactions. Plus, it is good for your self esteem having hot boys telling you how cute you are.”

He perked up for a brief second thinking of someone hot being attracted to him, but it went away as soon as he remembered that most people in those apps were creeps. Zuko settled his cheek against the table and looked at how Mai and Ty Lee were huddled together looking intently at his phone.

“What even was our criterion for choosing which boys to swipe right on?” Zuko asked, concerned about his face being known by perverts.

“We made up quite a system,” Mai hummed thoughtfully. “We rated a number of areas from 0 to 5.”

“Which were?”

“Teeth cleanliness, jock aesthetics, calf and thigh muscles, presence of other guys on photos, pets, song of choice, marribility, and possibility of provoking a heart break that you cannot recover from, thus ruining you for all other men.”

“What a nice selection of men we must have gathered,” Zuko said gloomily.

“Actually,” Ty Lee looked up from his phone with a big smile. “It would have been better if you had not freaked out last night and started to mindlessly swiping right because ‘we were being too picky’ and ‘nobody's perfect anyways’. But don’t fret! We have some real gems here!”

“Oh?” Zuko asked curiously, lifting up his head from the table - well, he was a whiny bastard, but he would take a date if the person was normal enough.

“God, is that a penis or a naked rat?” Mai scrunched her nose at the phone.

Zuko’s head dropped back down in a swift move and banged on the table with full force,

“That’s it. I’m dying alone. Bachelor forever. You may now call me Uncle Zuko because that’s all I’ll ever be... Unless I suffer brain damage and decide that rat-dick-guy is the one for me.”

“Shush, silly.” Ty Lee reprimanded. “Here. I saw at least 5 guys that are super cute and seemingly normal while I was scrolling through your matches”

“Tyler, 23, personal trainer, says: ‘What has 36 teeth and holds back the Incredible Hulk? My zipper’” Mai said tonessly. “His personality seems disgusting, but at least he has good teeth.”

Zuko let out a small wail of despair at that and got up from his chair.

“Oh look at that! Xin, 48, is looking for a sugarbaby,” Ty Lee said excitedly.

“I’m done,” Zuko muttered and walked towards Mai and Ty Lee’s bedroom.

He opened their wardrobe and stole a pair of sweatpants and a large hoodie. He didn’t even have time to feel bad about going commando on someone else’s pants before he was storming out.

“Thank you for scarring me for life! As if I didn’t have enough traumas,” Zuko grabbed his phone from Ty Lee’s hands.

“I think the sugarbaby comment was too soon. You hurt his sensibilities,” Mai mock whispered to Ty Lee.

“Fuck yes you hurt my sensibilities!” Zuko bit back, walking to the living room and picking his keys and wallet up from the couch before going back to the kitchen.

“You are just so fun to tease!” Ty Lee laughed, throwing an arm around Mai from where they were watching Zuko freak out. “Anyway, please don’t delete the app before having a look through your matches. I swear I saw some pretty cute guys who messaged you-”

“Yeah, yeah, good teeth, I know,” Zuko muttered angrily and ducked down to peck each of them on the cheek. “I am coming on Friday for sushi night, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at you.”

“Go away,” Mai sighed. “Let us spend at least one Saturday in peace.”

“See you later, babes! Take care,” Ty Lee smiled happily as Zuko closed the door to his friends’ apartment.

Zuko had ignored the lift and took the four flights of stairs down to the entrance of the apartment complex. Once he had reached the street, he didn’t think twice before starting a light walk towards his own place. Despite his tiredness and terrible hangover, Zuko felt nervous energy building up rapidly inside him and that was enough to keep him moving steadily.

On his way back to his place, Zuko tried not to think about the hollowness that always came when he got back home and found it empty. It embarrassed him, but Zuko didn’t like being alone. His own company wasn’t always the best; sometimes he got too inside in his head and it was hard to get out. He felt isolated and alien to everything more often than not.

As his breaths were starting to grow heavier, he reached his building and took the stairs to his tiny apartment. It was as messy as he left it and it made his head ache when he thought about cleaning it.

He made himself breakfast: too many pancakes as usual, and stored the leftovers in his fridge. He decided to do some reading for one of his classes while he was eating. How dull, he thought bitterly. Zuko didn’t understand shit of what the article was trying to say even after ten solid minutes of reading. He closed his laptop defeadly and decided that the task can wait until his brain decided to start working again.

He threw himself in his bed with a tired huff and took his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it. Zuko chewed a little bit on his bottom lip and hesitated his finger on top of the Tinder app icon for almost a minute. He opened it, out of scientific curiosity (not that Ty Lee and Mai would ever know about it).

First, he took a look at his own profile - of which he didn’t have any recollections of making. His pictures were bad, but they could be worse. He remembered Ty Lee had argued with him about them, and they had ended up agreeing on three: one of him ‘brooding’ at the camera with his leather jacket with the rainbow flag pin (although Zuko had insisted that he was not ‘brooding’); one of him with his arms around Mai and Ty Lee, smiling brightly at the camera and drunk off of his mind; and the last one was of him in his martial arts gear, holding his swords proudly. Ty Lee had pointed out that they showed every aspect of him and made him more appealing. Zuko honestly thought he looked stupid.

But what made Zuko groan out loud was his actual profile. It read:

**Zuko, 23, Republic City University**

**My haircut deceives you. We're not in 2004 and I'm not emo.**

**Also, fuck you Jet.**

**My Anthem: Pound the Alarm - Nicki Minaj**

Zuko remembered vividly why they had chosen Pound the Alarm and it was painful for him to relieve those moments. It had been a little bit after his break up with Jet, when Mai and Ty Lee had decided Zuko needed to go clubbing and let loose. That night was forever recorded in a video of him shirtless, drunk out of his mind, screaming 'You know we getting hotter, and hotter, sexy and hotter'.

“I’m killing Ty Lee with my sword next time I see her,” Zuko muttered. “Don’t care if Mai stabs me for it. Fuck it.”

He swallowed down the string of curses he wanted to let out and resigned himself to looking through the messages his matches had sent him. They ranged from cheesy to deranged and Zuko had to stop himself from cringing the entire time.

Turns out rat-dick-guy really had sent a picture of his dick and Zuko decided to message him back suggesting the should seek medical help for his… problem. He read more and more messages, and begun feeling like the hope he didn’t even know he had in him dissipate. Excluding all the inappropriate messages, people already in a relationship and old ass men, he was left with 10 people. Most of them wanted casual sex, which was a hard no for Zuko. One of them had even sent him a funny gif, but when Zuko stopped to look at his profile picture, he actually grimaced.

Zuko could say that at least he had tried and it didn’t work for him. So he would appease Ty Lee and get Mai off his back. He was thinking about just deleting the forsaken app, getting it out of his life for good, when a notification popped up that someone named Sokka had just matched with him.

He had clicked on Sokka’s profile before he even thought twice. His mouth dried a little bit when his eyes focused on the stranger’s first picture.

“Oh,” Zuko mused. “You’re fucking hot.”

In his photo, Sokka was proudly holding up a fish. Zuko admitted that it was fucking stupid, but it didn’t make him any less attractive. Sokka had a blinding smile that made his whole face light up and his big blue eyes were almost shut from being scrunched up. His skin was a soft brown and his hair was gathered in high ponytail, his sides closely shaved. His hands were big and manly. He was buff - Zuko could tell right away from the way his dark gray Henley hugged his body.

The next photo was one of him with a group of friends, lifting their beer bottles up. From that, Zuko gathered that Sokka was fucking tall and also was normal enough to actually have friends. However, it was the last one that got Zuko like a punch in the gut. He actually squealed a little bit and dropped his phone to try and recompose himself.

Sokka was a hockey boy.

Now, Zuko would never have admitted to being into the whole hockey thing but he totally was. Seeing Sokka on ice, with his pads and jersey on, was a bit too much for Zuko. He didn't understand shit about sports but that didn’t mean he couldn’t respectfully appreciate a nice hockey ass when he was presented one.

“What the fuck could possibly be wrong with you?” Zuko looked suspiciously at the pictures one more time. Sokka was objectively too hot not to be in a relationship. It didn’t make sense for him to be on Tinder. Maybe he was one of those Don Juan types. His profile, however, begged to differ.

**Sokka, 22, Hockey Player, Republic City University**

**The difference between labradors and me?**

**They are good boys.**

**I am the best boy.**

**My Anthem: Best of Both Worlds - Hannah Montana**

Zuko snorted at his song of choice and pondered if he should message Sokka. Zuko didn’t want to seem desperate, but his belly curled with so much want that it got him kind of dizzy. He felt a little wild and unashamed, and maybe destiny had finally stopped fucking with him. His thumbs were already in action before he could rethink his decision.

_Is the Hannah Montana song a thinly veiled way to state that you’re bi?_

Zuko sent it and immediately started freaking out about it. He felt dumb and childish and attention-starved. He hoped Sokka didn’t think he was that desperate, even if Zuko was. He was on Tinder on a Saturday morning, for spirits’ sake.

Sokka’s reply pleasantly interrupted Zuko’s freakout session.

**well, it was a choice between this and NSYNC’s bye bye bye**

**i decided to go for subtlety**

**you’re the first to get it tbh**

Zuko smiled, feeling giddy that Sokka had responded so fast.

"Spirits, what am I? Fucking 12?" he asked a little bit disgusted at himself.

_Shame. It was well thought out, but I must admit that I have a deep knowledge of pop culture_

_You know… being gay... and single._

He was cringing as he read back his poor attempt at... What? Flirting?

**is this you’re thinly veiled way of hinting that you are gay and single?**

_No, this apparently is me announcing it in fucking outdoor._

**lmao**

**anyways, good to know that you are both of those things…**

**too many people here are looking to experiment or are already in a relationship**

_Are you?_

**am i what?**

_Looking to experiment or already in a relationship?_

**yea, i’m married to a woman and have 11 kids. we’re looking to spice things up as i always wondered what cock tastes like**

Zuko actually barked out a laugh. How utterly ridiculous. It was kind of cute.

_Send them my best regards_

_And by the way: it tastes fucking awesome_

Zuko was biting his nails while he waited for a reply. Did he go too far with the dick thing?

**sorry i was looking at your pictures again**

**i must say the whole rugged and brooding thing does it for me**

_I DO NOT BROOD_

**yea u do bud**

**don’t worry it’s hot**

That observation made something curl warmly in Zuko’s belly. He felt his cheeks hit up a bit and he reread the text, trying come up with a decent answer.

_Well, thank you?_

**so you go to republic city university too?**

_Yes. Law._

**a bad boy with brains, what a catch!**

_Why do I have the feeling that you’re making fun of me?_

**bc i am :D**

_Fuck off before I start bullying you for being a hockey boy._

**i’m just in the hockey team for the scholarship. i am actually studying engineering**

**plus being a hockey boy is awesome so shut upppp**

_I hope the Hockey Gods don’t hear me and punish me for my sins._

**u are a little shit, u know that?**

_I have been told that, yes._

**so, wanna go on a date with me?**


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A date? Zuko doesn't know what that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i'm back with chapter 2 :) only one more to go!
> 
> i just wanted to thank you guys for all the kudos and comments! it means a lot that you are enjoying this fic!! and as always, feel free to point out any mistakes 
> 
> this chapter is significantly flufflier than the last one but the banter is still present bc i DO love some good banter lmao okay i'll shut up
> 
> oh and i'm [dumbwaves](https://dumbwaves.tumblr.com/) on tumblr :)

Sokka was _dreamy_. And Zuko was swooning - but only a little bit and in a very manly and rugged way.

Zuko wondered if he had been stuck in fever dream in the past few days - he was permanently entranced in a haze of _SokkaSokkaSokka_. They had been texting constantly since their first interaction (the speed in which Sokka had asked for his number had flattered Zuko beyond words). 

Zuko and Sokka had been talking for a week before they actually got around to scheduling a real date. Sokka’s schedule was kind of hectic because of training sessions and classes, and Zuko didn't mind waiting. They ended up deciding on setting their first encounter on a Wednesday afternoon, at one their university campus' cafés.

During their constant texting, Zuko had found out that Sokka was the kind of happy-go-lucky person that Zuko usually despised. However, Sokka somehow made it work for him. He was cheeky and oddly charming in a very hyperactive way. Zuko hoped that they would balance each other out well, considering Zuko’s more awkward nature and dramatic tendencies. 

While thinking of that, Zuko turned his Spotify playlist louder, rocking his hips a bit as he applied a face mask. He had read online that it was important to do ‘self-care’ days so he was trying it out. Maybe it would make him feel less shitty all the time.

He tried to ignore the papers he just got in the mail from his father’s lawyer glaring at him from where they were stacked on top of his tiny kitchen counter. Zuko hadn't opened the envelopes yet, but he had a pretty clear idea of what they were about. He had got a very explanatory text from Azula a few days back saying “Zuzu! I’m excited to become an only child, you know how that has always been my dream”.

Adding to that shitstorm, Jet had sent him a text earlier that morning. It was the second that month and it was the usual bullshit that Zuko had almost fallen for multiple times. But now, with Sokka on his mind, Zuko found 20 times easier to finally block Jet’s contact after seeing another one of his infamous “miss yr body babe” texts. Before blocking Jet, he sent a quick and final:

_Shut the up for once in your miserable life and leave me alone. If you’re not aware, you broke up with me on my birthday several months ago. Oh yeah, I forgot... "You didn’t know it was my birthday”. Anyway, it was the best (and only) birthday present you have ever given me. Thank you and please move the fuck on and delete my number._

Zuko was extremely pleased by his answer. So much so that he sent a screencap to his group chat with Mai and Ty Lee. They would certainly be proud of him.

As soon as he had sent it, the song currently playing in his phone got interrupted by the sound of a new notification. Zuko looked at it, rolling his eyes when he saw Sokka’s text.

**should i try rocking pigtails?**

_I don’t think the world is ready for that._

**it’d probably make me too powerful huh**

The text was so absolutely ridiculous and Sokkaesque that Zuko didn’t even blink an eye. He had already started typing out a reply when his phone started ringing. Zuko froze. ‘S blue heart emoji’ flashed brightly back at him.

“For the love of Agni,” he stared unmovingly at that monstrosity “Who still makes phone calls in 2020?”

Zuko observed his phone ring like he was watching a very dangerous and hungry wild animal. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to speak with Sokka… But he preferred to die over having to have a phone call with anyone, even more with someone he didn’t know personally. 

His phone suddenly stopped ringing and a text from Sokka popped up on his lock screen.

**i think i might have called u by accident lol sorry**

**i’m kinda tipsy ngl**

Zuko frowned.

_It’s 12am on a Tuesday._

**weekly mental health brunch w suki and toph :D mimosas rock**

_Remind me, how are you a student athlete?_

**my guns don't lie, although my hips may lie sometimes**

**and i know how to handle a stick remember????**

**(btw the guns are my biceps!!!!!!)**

Zuko snorted at the complete nonsense of the texts. Alcohol apparently made Sokka prone to shitty pop culture references and bad dick jokes. Zuko could admit it was a little endearing. 

_Enjoy brunch. And please keep your stick to yourself._

After texting back, Zuko had moved on with his day. It had dragged on with the knowledge that his date with Sokka was set to the following day. It loomed over him like a heavy cloud. His anxiety had acted up and he had stress eaten a whole bag of chips while daydreaming all the horrible thing that could happen on their date. He had been able to get some work done for his classes but it took him twice as long as usual. At the end of the day, he had a hot shower and ate some spicy ramen in bed. 

To his surprise and horror, another call came late at night. Zuko tensed from where he was sprawled out on his bed, watching anime. He steeled himself before picking up his phone from his bedside table. However, his body sagged in relief when he saw it was just Sokka and not lawyer or Azula or Jet. He thought briefly of ignoring it again before his anxiety got the best of him - what if it was something important? 

He accepted the call while he was nervously biting his thumbnail.

“Hey,” a voice said tentatively from the other end of the line. It was smooth and silvery.

“Hi,” Zuko answered in a small exhale of air.

“Zuko?” Sokka’s amused tone filled the silence.

“Yeah, hey,” Zuko repeated dumbly. He was still slightly entranced by Sokka’s voice. “Hi.”

Sokka let out a laugh that made Zuko smile and hold his phone tighter against his ear. “What a great conversationalist,” he teased.

“Sorry,” Zuko said lamely, lying back against his fluffy pillows and looking up at his ceiling. As uncomfortable as he was with the whole phone call thing, he didn’t want to stop hearing Sokka’s voice yet. It filled in the silence of his apartment nicely. “I am… bad at this.”

“Talking?”

“You could say so,” he snorted. “Phone calls are specially challenging.”

“Ah, sorry.” Sokka said immediately, almost tripping on his own words. “It’s just- Sorry if this is silly but... After I sort of butt dialed you this morning, I couldn't stop wondering what you sounded like.”

Zuko gave a weak little disbelieving laugh in return. “No, it’s fine. I-”

Sokka interrupted him. “Your voice is very nice,” he let out a laugh. “Sorry.”

“Are you really complimenting my voice?” Zuko asked after a brief stunned silence. 

“Well, I'm not gonna apologize for it.” Sokka seemed to regain his confidence, and his voice sounded almost smug. “It’s a pretty nice voice, husky and… Stuff…”

Zuko stayed silent.

“Did I make it awkward for you?” Sokka didn’t sound sorry at all. 

“I mean, yes,” Zuko cleared his throat. 

“Well, thank you for the honesty,” Sokka sounded amused. “Anyways, what are you up to?”

“Er,” he hesitated, looking down at his dragon pyjamas and then to the anime episode still running on his laptop. “Just… chilling.”

“Cool, me too.” 

Zuko heard some shuffling and then the sound of munching. “Is your midnight snack any good?”

“Yeah,” Sokka said brightly. “I’m eating a protein bar... Y’know, to get strong.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Zuko snorted. “How was brunch?”

“Oh, amazing as usual. Toph got particularly brutal when she heard of you.” Sokka commented offhandedly.

Zuko’s breath caught at that. “Did you tell your friends about me?”

“Well, I was texting you nonstop during brunch,” Sokka seemed not to have caught the way Zuko’s words had ringed with wonder. “It earned me a kick in the shin, but it was worth it.”

Zuko smiled at that and made a small amused sound.

“But training after all those mimosas was hell.”

“Spirits, you’re sloppy,” Zuko teased, ignoring the noises of protest coming from the other side of the line. “I’m just saying, how did you manage to get on the ice while sloshed?”

“I wasn’t drunk, only slightly tipsy. No one could tell.” Sokka protested.

“Oh, so your natural chirpiness is a good disguise for inebriation?” Zuko laughed.

“Well, yes,” Sokka seemed to be smiling. “But I won’t be pulling that again anytime soon… I thought I was going to be sick in the showers after all that skating.”

“Wise,” he nodded.

“Zuko?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m excited for our date.”

“Me too,” Zuko said softly, his heart weirdly warm.

“I will see you tomorrow then,” Sokka stated happily. “I have to sleep or else I won’t be able to get up for practice in the morning.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

“Night.”

Zuko could almost swear he could hear Sokka’s smile through the phone. 

***

“Hello. Zuko here...” he tried again, looking at his reflexion in the mirror. “But I guess you probably know me, sort of.”

Zuko had never been on _real_ date. But if someone had asked him, he would have said that he had been in tons of dates with Mai and Jet throughout their relationships. Truth was, Mai and him hadn’t done the whole "date" thing back in the day and Jet… Well, Jet had only been around when he felt like hooking up. Now Zuko realized that the relationship he thought he had had with Jet hadn't actually been real, even if they had been together for eight months. It hurt to think Jet had strung him along for so long and Zuko hadn’t even had the wits to realize all the red flags.

Which made Zuko also realize, suddenly, that he had never been in a _real relationship_ either.

“I don’t think I can do this,” Zuko said anxiously to his reflexion.

His phone chimed from somewhere under the mass of clothes he had thrown on his bed when trying to decide what he would wear on his first date with Sokka. Zuko frowned, and started pulling his clothes out of the way. It was probably just Sokka texting to see if they were still up for that afternoon. The noise came again, probably from somewhere to his left.

Zuko had to dig through his leggings - honestly what was he thinking? - and various pairs of old jeans before he could find his phone nestled inside his lucky socks. 

**hey! i’ll be there at 4**

**when u get there, just look for the man with enchanting good looks :D**

Zuko rolled his eyes (fondly).

_Don’t make me ghost you._

Zuko sighed and looked around the mess of clothes in his room. He wished he could call Mai or Ty Lee, but they were both busy at class and work. Besides, Zuko definitely hadn’t told them about Sokka. Not yet. It felt too good to be ruined by their constant teasing. He had, however, considered calling Uncle to ask if he had any advice. The idea was dropped instantly when Zuko remembered Iroh’s ‘flirting’ toward his ‘lady friends’. Zuko shuddered.

He ended up deciding on going for his “casual” look. Zuko didn’t want to look like he was desperate - which he was, but Sokka didn’t need to know that. He ended up picking a soft black shirt and dark ripped jeans that made his ass look good. 

“This is nice, right?” Zuko wondered aloud while pulling on his lucky socks. “Not too much... Casual and still interesting... I guess?” he rambled to himself, now tugging at his hair. 

He walked to his bathroom and grimaced a little bit at his reflexion in the mirror above his sink. His scar was present as always and he resisted the urge to scratch it. It still bothered him, although it had been with him for ten years. 

Zuko came to the realization that if Sokka wasn’t okay with it, then he could fuck right off of Zuko’s life. Even with that mantra in mind, it still sucked that he had such a big part of the abuse he had experienced so evident for everybody to gape at. 

Zuko let out a shaky breath and grabbed his moisturizer, so he could apply it gently to his burned skin. The honey smell calmed him down a bit and he tried to repeat to himself that Sokka had already seen his scar in his Tinder pictures, so it wouldn’t be a big deal. He fiddled a bit more with his hair, but also gave up on trying to make it cover the hearing aid in his left ear. 

“I’m fine,” Zuko exhaled while washing his sticky hands. “You’re fine,” he pointed to his reflexion in the mirror. “We can do a date, it’s fine,” he checked to see if his nails were trimmed and clean.

After finally approving of his own appearance, Zuko pocketed his phone, wallet and keys and got out of his door. He was already going down the second flight of stairs when he noticed that he was still wearing his slippers and had to run back up to put some proper shoes on.

Despite the little mishap, Zuko got to the café Sokka had suggested exactly on time. He had walked from his place since it didn’t seem to be far. However, Zuko did have to use his phone to find the exact place they were supposed to meet, because he wasn’t very familiar with that part of campus. He walked in the small building without stopping to think because that would have made him more nervous than he already was. 

As soon as Zuko got inside, his eyes found Sokka. He was sitting at a high table, his body looking a bit too bulky for the stool he was sat on. Zuko hadn’t thought that was possible, but Sokka looked even better in person than he did in his pictures. 

He seemed to be fiddling with his phone, his hands looking huge against the device. His hair looked wet and his skin glowed a little bit, like he had just got out of the shower. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt. A pearlescent choker shone prettily from his neck, drawing Zuko’s attention to the soft curve of his Adam’s apple.

It had taken someone to bump into Zuko for him to move from where he stood frozen in place. Zuko mumbled a quick apology and tried to breathe deeply to avoid an incoming melt down. He tugged at his bangs, trying to make the strands cover his scar in an unconscious move that he still hadn’t managed to get rid of. 

Zuko approached the table where Sokka was sat, thanking the spirits that Sokka hadn’t seen him walking towards him - because Zuko thought he looked awkward when he walked. He quickly tried shoving his hands in his jeans pockets and panicked when he noticed they were fake. He had no clue of what the hell he should do with his hands. 

Before he even had time to think a coherent thought, he was in front of Sokka, who still looked thoroughly distracted by his phone. He briefly wondered if he should go with the speech he had prepared earlier, but almost instantly decided to ditch it and wing it. 

“Have you seen a man with… Uh,” Zuko hesitated but powered through. “Enchanting good looks?”

Sokka turned towards him in a swift move and barked out a laugh. His whole face seemed to light up momentarily before his lips settled into a smirk. “Good joke, poor execution.”

Zuko rolled his eyes but felt his body relaxing nonetheless. Sokka seemed to radiate warmth.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sokka got up and smiled some more. Zuko wondered if his face didn't hurt from doing it so much. “Even though I am pretty sure you insulted me a few moments ago.”

Zuko opened his mouth, flushing heavily. “O-Oh spirits, that is not-”

Sokka chuckled and stretched out a hand to squeeze Zuko’s shoulder lightly. “Dude, I’m messing with you. Please stop looking like you’re about to explode.”

Zuko flushed even more. At that point, even his ears must have started to pink. His date calling him ‘dude’ seemed like an awful start. What were they? Straight bros?

“I hope you don’t mind that I already ordered for you,” Sokka said easily, probably not having sensed Zuko’s internal monologue or being too polite to mention it. “I remembered that you said you usually drink tea, so…” Sokka added, scratching his neck in a move that made his bicep bunch up nicely.

Zuko's heart thumped loudly at that. “Yes, thank you… That was very thoughtful of you,” he mumbled quietly.

He felt very awkward about himself and suddenly didn't know what to do with his limbs. He opted for tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. Which made him realize that he probably seemed like a blushing virgin. With that mortifying thought in mind, he sat himself in front of Sokka.

The other man seemed undisturbed by any of what was going on. He looked confident, like he fit well inside himself. It made Zuko ache all over at how attractive it was.

“So,” Sokka took a sip from his paper cup, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “Should I be worried that you’re looking at me like you want to kill me?"

All of Zuko's hope for a romantic first date went down the drain from there. Sokka was indeed a little shit that liked to run his _very attractive,_ albeit annoying mouth. 

Surprisingly, it didn't frustrate Zuko as much as he thought it would. 

Zuko glared at Sokka nonetheless. "Of course I don't want to kill you, I’m just-"

"Brooding?" 

"Stop that," Zuko had to hold himself back so he didn't swat Sokka.

"I’ve already said I think it’s hot," he shrugged, clearly trying to hold back a laugh.

"People wanting to kill you?" Zuko asked drily.

"Well, no," Sokka seemed to stop to think about it. "But I guess I’m attracted to people who I know are capable of kicking my ass."

Zuko bit his lip before he could give is brilliant 'and I'm attracted to people who will definitely break my heart' retort. "Sounds like you’re in luck then."

"Yeah, I saw your profile picture…" Sokka's voice cracked a little bit and he proceeded to clear his throat. "You do martial arts, right?"

Pure glee rushed through Zuko's body. He loved talking about that topic. It was safe and familiar and something we truly excelled at. And it surely didn't hurt that it seemed to make Sokka a little flustered. "I've been practicing since I was a toddler. Mainly Kung Fu. But since I was 13 my main interest has been in sword fighting." 

"Well, that Jet from your profile must be a poor fucker then," Sokka joked.

Zuko froze at that. Cold dread crawled up his spine and he felt his face close off. Sokka, to his credit, seemed to immediately acknowledge he had made Zuko uncomfortable and tried to steer their interaction back to easy banter and flirting.

"Anyways, you gotta show me that sword of yours sometime."

"Yeah, of cour- Oh I see," Zuko frowned at Sokka, who was innocently looking at his coffee cup. "To be honest, I’m not completely sure if that was just a dick joke or you were actually propositioning me."

Sokka froze at that.

Zuko winced a little bit. He had definitely crossed a line. “Sorry… I-I’ve been told that I have absolutely no basic social awareness and poor impulse control," he paused for an awkward second. "Oh spirits, why am I telling you that?”

"Must be your poor impulse control." 

Zuko eyed Sokka wearily and didn't miss the way the other man's mouth seemed to be twitching up in a smile. Zuko wasn't sure if Sokka was going to laugh at Zuko or at the situation. He didn't know which would be worse.

"Please tell me about yourself before I ruin this even more," Zuko begged.

"You’re not ruining anything," Sokka said warmly and squeezed Zuko's shoulder with a strong hand. Zuko absolutely melted. "So, what do you want to know?"

Anything. Everything. That was what Zuko wanted to say. He settled for a "whatever".

Sokka proceeded to talk animatedly about his family, the South Pole, engineering and the ins and outs of university hockey. He was expansive and a bit theatrical in his stories, gesturing freely and dotting every other anecdote with a sarcastic comment. He would stop periodically to check if Zuko was still listening. 

And Zuko's eyes never left Sokka. He was almost bewitched, dazed and alert at the same time, cataloguing all details from the way Sokka's jaw worked when he spoke to the way he talked fondly about his sister, his dad, and his stepfather.

Sokka only stopped talking after he took a sip from his coffee and grimaced at the coldness of it. "Spirits, have I been talking for this long? Katara says I like the sound of my own voice too much."

"I like your voice," Zuko blurted out before his brain could wake up from its dreamlike state.

“Careful,” Sokka advised, waggling his brows. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Zuko snorted at that. He relaxed a bit, already getting used to Sokka’s relentless flirting. “What should I compliment next? Your bright wit or your killer charm?” he asked while resting his chin in his right hand.

“Finally, a man after my own heart,” Sokka sighed dreamily. “You spoil my humble disposition.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with an ego as big as yours,” Zuko teased.

“Some would say it matches the size of my stick,” Sokka bit back solemnly. 

“Fuck off,” Zuko laughed and bumped their shoulders.

“I was talking about hockey, don’t be crude,” Sokka bumped his shoulder right back.

“Yeah, right.”

They smiled at each other and Zuko wondered when his life had become a fucking romcom. Not that he was complaining. It was very nice after all. 

Zuko finally noticed how close their hands were resting on the table, fingers almost brushing. 

“I can’t believe it’s already getting dark outside,” Sokka looked out of the window with a little frown.

Zuko hummed quietly in agreement, still looking at their hands.

“Hey,” Sokka called his attention softly. When Zuko looked up at him, his face was gentle and hopeful. “Do you wanna take a walk with me? I don’t think I’m ready for this to be over yet.”

Honesty like that, raw and open, was something Zuko had rarely seen in his life. “Y-Yeah,” he nodded weakly, doubting the strength of his legs after hearing such a thing. 

“Cool,” Sokka let out a breath and got up from his seat. He walked towards the glass door and shouldered it open easily. He turned his head back while his body was keeping the door open. “You coming?”

“Yes-” Zuko hurried to catch up to him. “Sorry,” he laughed awkwardly. “You threw me off a little bit. Are you always this honest?”

Sokka huffed a laugh while they started walking alongside each other. “Would you rather I pretended not to have liked you and not texted you for a week to seem aloof and ‘cool’?” He teased, knocking their shoulders together lightly.

Zuko flushed at that. “How did you figure out my master plan so quickly?”

It was not like he had been actively planning on ghosting Sokka or anything like that, but he thought that making himself unavailable would maybe make Sokka’s heart grow fonder. Thinking it twice over, Zuko noticed how childish that would be. 

Sokka shrugged. “I’m a simple guy. No need for stupid games. If I don't like you, I don't like you. If I like you, it's pretty hard to get rid of me.”

Zuko felt his lips stretching into a small smile at that. 

They walked in a companionable silence for a couple blocks - Zuko still had no idea where they were heading exactly. They were still on campus, but close to the arts and literature buildings. 

“By the way, I hope you’re not kidnapping me,” Zuko commented absentmindedly

“No, thank you, I prefer not to be chopped in half by your swords,” Sokka taunted him. “I promise we’re almost there.”

Zuko nodded, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. The night had fallen dark and a few stars shone dimly in the sky, peeking through all the usual pollution. There was a light fall breeze that made him shiver, his bare arms covered in goosebumps.

“Zuko?”

“Yes?”

“My hand is kind of cold. Would you mind holding it?” Sokka asked with feigned innocence.

Zuko actually spluttered a little bit. “What?”

“What?” Sokka batted his eyelashes at him.

“Is this seriously your best line?”

“Was it not to your liking?” Sokka moved closer, getting face to face with him with an easy grin.

“Well, it was mediocre at best,” Zuko said in a slightly teasing tone, eyeing the way Sokka was looking down at him with a glint in his blue eyes. A warm tingle ran up his spine and he let himself smile back, “But it’ll do.”

Zuko grabbed Sokka’s left hand in his right, feeling the way the other man’s palm engulfed his in warm heat. 

“Cold hands my ass,” Zuko muttered, making Sokka laugh unapologetically.

“A boy has gotta do what he has gotta do.”

Before Zuko could make up a retort, they stopped in front of a beautiful marble fountain. Zuko had never seen it before, so he peered at the statue of two women with their arms intertwined, water coming out of their palms. The rushing sound of water made him look at the small pool at their feet where plenty of koi fish swam in calming patterns.

Everything was illuminated by at least two dozen blue and white lanterns that were hung around the small square where the fountain was placed. They glimmered with a soft light, and for a brief moment Zuko forgot he was in the middle of Republic City.

“Do you like it?” Sokka asked quietly, squeezing his hand to call his attention.

“It’s beautiful,” Zuko said truthfully, turning to look at Sokka. “I didn't know this place, how did you find it?”

“I have a friend, Aang, who’s a religious studies major. His classes usually take place in a building nearby. I came here to pick him up one time and saw this,” he motioned his head to the fountain. “Reminds me of home.”

“Why?” Zuko's voice was tentative, and he tried as hard as possible not to break that moment.

Sokka's skin glowed a cool brown and his blue eyes sparkled. “These women are a representation of Tui and La, the moon and ocean spirits. They are said to be the first spirits to come to the mortal world. Sometimes they are represented as koi fish, other times as women. We worship mainly them at the South Pole.”

“Yeah,” Zuko’s voice was rough and he felt a little out of breath. 

Sokka laughed at his response, his eyes almost closed shut from the way his face wrinkled when he smiled. Zuko stared at the stretch of his lips, the way one of his canines was slightly chipped. 

“Are you still here with me?” Sokka tugged at Zuko’s hand, bringing their bodies closer so they were face to face.

“Maybe,” Zuko mumbled, his ears pinking. “'M not sure.”

And that was the honest truth. He felt dazed and tongue-tied. 

“I think we can do something about that,” Sokka stepped closer to him, his smile stretching wide for _miles and miles_.

Zuko felt Sokka’s warm hand in his neck, his calloused thumb brushing his cheek in slow, deliberate movements. He honestly could not remember the last time someone had touched him with so much tenderness. Something hungry and demanding curled in Zuko’s belly.

Sokka’s lips brushed his in a tentative kiss. All he could smell was Sokka, the faint scent of seawater, coffee and sandalwood. 

Zuko’s mouth was moving against Sokka in the next second, their breaths mixing together wetly. Zuko let out a small pleased noise when Sokka’s free hand squeezed his waist and brought him closer. Zuko wrapped his arms around Sokka’s broad shoulders and kept kissing him until his lips started to feel numb.

“This is nice,” Sokka whispered in his ear after a while, pecking the corner of Zuko’s jaw affectionately. 

“Tell me about it,” Zuko laughed, resting his forehead against Sokka’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “We should do this again.” 

_And again and again and again and again_ echoed in his mind.

“Count me in,” Sokka squeezed his waist one more time, before motioning his head to something behind Zuko. “But maybe not here... We are giving that old lady quite a show.”

“Shit,” Zuko chuckled, trying to hide himself in Sokka’s embrace, which was ridiculous because they were two fully grown men. Nevertheless, it was nice.

“Let me walk you home,” Sokka nudged him, taking him by his hand again and pulling him into the night.

“I live all the way over there,” Zuko rolled his eyes fondly, pointing at the opposite direction they had been heading. “You big idiot.”


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko wears Sokka's lucky jersey, drama happens and idiots are always idiots (but in love).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii! it me, a dumbass. so, let's make this short and sweet. you know the drill: my english is shit, but i write with love. plus this chapter has everything that the others lacked: hockey, angst, zuko's past and much more. 
> 
> it makes me super happy that so many of you are enjoying this fic!! thank you all :) i hope you like this last chapter as well
> 
> okay see you at the end notes

Zuko discovered that wearing a hockey jersey was comfier than he had anticipated. The big white letters spelling “SOKKA” on the back didn’t hurt either. 

“You wear this when you come to our match,” Sokka had said when he had given Zuko the jersey at the end of their previous date. “It’s one of my lucky ones. You can’t wash it tho, or the magic will be broken,” he had added very seriously.

“Spirits, this thing stinks,” Zuko had scrunched up his nose in mock disgust. “I might have to wear a gas mask if you want me to wear it.”

“Stop being dramatic,” Sokka had pulled Zuko closer, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his ear. “You love my musky male scent. Admit it.”

That argument had occasioned a long back and forth, some pouting and eventually a couple of kisses. 

So, all in all, Zuko was kind of nervous to be attending one of Sokka’s hockey games. 

They had already been going out for over a month, with weekly dates and daily texting, when the invitation came. Sokka had said it would mean a lot if Zuko came to one of his games and met his friends, who’d be there as well. 

Despite not being a fan of crowds, Zuko had agreed on going. He really wanted to see Sokka playing after he had noticed how much hockey meant to Sokka. And Zuko wanted to be supportive of any of Sokka’s interests. 

He reasoned with himself that he didn’t have to understand all the rules to attend a game. Additionally, Zuko was pretty sure his focus would be less on the game and more on how Sokka looked in full hockey gear. 

However, the color drained from his face when he realized that he wouldn’t be able to ogle Sokka’s ass in front of his friends and sister. Well, not without looking like a pervert. 

“Do not panic,” Zuko told himself once more. 

He was ready for the game, wearing the lucky jersey and looking compulsively at his phone. He was already sitting outside, on his building’s front steps, waiting for his ride. 

His treacherous nerves were making him sweat profusely. He got even more nervous thinking about his possible body odor. 

He hated himself for having told Sokka that we didn’t know how to drive. But then, how could he predict that Sokka would arrange for Zuko to ride with his friends to the game? Why did he have to be so fucking thoughtful? It was mildly disgusting.

Zuko tried to calm himself down with deep breaths but thinking about his own breathing made him even more anxious. 

He ended up going through his texts to distract himself. He sent a quick and poor constructed excuse to Ty Lee as to why he wasn’t attending their usual sushi night (again). 

Zuko had a feeling they were suspecting that something was going on but they thankfully hadn’t confronted him yet. Mai would certainly be able to make him crack if she decided to interrogate him.

He proceeded to scroll down to his last conversation with Sokka, rereading their texts with a embarrassingly happy smile on his face.

**good news! my left knee is itching so that means today will be a definite win**

**either way, wear the lucky jersey!!!!**

**and pls ignore my friends if they say something stupid about me. they are FILTHY LIARS.**

_ Yes, yes, I got it. Do you want me to bring my pom poms also to cheer you on?  _

**u’d be a terrible cheerleader. u are the most uncheerful person ever. u could be an awesome gloomyleader tho**

_ Are your jokes always this bad?  _

**yes and u love them :) gtg coach is yelling at me xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**oh and the gang should be at your place soon**

“Hey, lover boy!” a loud female shouted to call his attention. 

Zuko looked up from his phone and saw a bright red Jeep. The windows of the car were rolled down and four different faces covered in orange face paint and glitter stared at him expectantly. He recognized them instantly from some pictures Sokka had shown him once. 

“Get in, Sparky!” the girl barked again from the passenger seat. 

Zuko scrambled to get up. “Hi, yeah… Uh, sure,” he rushed to climb into the back seat of the car.

“Hi Zuko, sorry for Toph’s lack of manners!” the girl in the driving seat said cheerly, winking at him. “I’m Suki, ex-extraordinaire.”

“A nickname is a sign of welcoming to our group,” Toph grumbled. “I was being polite.”

“Uh, okay...” Zuko felt his cheeks flushing at the attention. “Thanks for the ride, by the way,” he added awkwardly.

“Don’t mention it!” Suki gave him a smile and started driving.

“And you two must be Katara and Aang,” Zuko turned to the couple sat alongside him in the back. His voice was slightly shaky, but he hoped that no one would pick it up.

Up close, Sokka’s sister was terrifying. She was sort of glaring at him while also evaluating him. Zuko thought she could sense all the wrongdoings he had ever committed in his life. Thankfully, Aang was sitting in the middle seat, keeping them at a safe distance from each other.

“Hi! It’s nice to finally meet you,” Aang said excitedly. “Sokka has been talking about you nonstop for the last few weeks!”

“Oh,” Zuko cleared his throat. “Hopefully only nice things,” he eyed Katara, who was still frowning at him.

“Oh, yeah,” Toph chuckled. “We know all about your skillful sword handling.”

“My what?” Zuko sputtered, eyes opening wide in horror.

“She’s just messing with you, Zuko.” Suki said easily.

“Oh, c’mon. It was a pretty good dick joke,” Toph’s tone was gleeful. 

“What?” Aang looked around confusedly. “Oh-” he said after a while, apparently having understood that Toph hadn’t been referring to the noble and ancient art of swordery. He bursted out laughing. 

“Agni have mercy,” Zuko mumbled, hiding his face in his hands.

“Toph, stop being so inappropriate!” Katara scolded her. 

“Sorry Sugar Queen!” she bit back sarcastically. 

“Sokka said he will kill us if we manage to scare Zuko away this quickly,” Suki reminded the group.

“It’s all in good fun!” Aang smiled at him, “So, are you excited for the game?”

Zuko opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. In that moment, his emotional range was limited to a scale fluctuating between mortified and scared shitless of Katara.

“Y-Yes,” he rasped out. “Even though I don’t know that much about hockey,” Zuko mentally congratulated himself for forming a coherent sentence.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Aang said easily. “You can’t be any worse than Toph.”

Zuko stared at him confusedly.

“Well, she’s blind!”

“AANG!” Katara yelled.

“Sorry,” he laughed, but he didn’t seem sorry at all. “But she is! She never knows what’s going on.”

“Twinkle Toes is right,” Toph smirked back at them, “Hockey’s pretty boring when you can’t see all the fights,” she shrugged. “But I’m a good friend so I don’t mind.”

Zuko kept his mouth shut. He was too afraid to accidentally offend someone or get Katara to hate him even more. Zuko didn’t really understand what she had against him, she didn’t even know him. He wondered briefly if it had anything to do with his scar. It usually put people off when they saw it. 

The thought that Sokka’s sister might be one of those people who judge him because of his scar made Zuko close off completely, crossing his arms and looking out the window. Sokka’s other friends were nice enough, even if a little aggressive and brash.

As the car started to slow down, Zuko noticed that they were already at the parking lot of the arena.

“Toph, you only come so you can make up your own commentary of what’s going on,” Suki noted distractedly while trying to find a decent parking spot. “And make fun of the player’s names.”

“A big privilege, if you ask me,” Toph smirked.

Suki paralleled parked with extreme ease and everybody hopped out of the Jeep. 

“Sokka gave me our tickets, so we can already get in-” Suki had started talking when she suddenly gasped. “Spirits!”

“What?” Toph demanded.

“Uh-” Katara looked at Zuko with wonder (which was better than contempt, if you asked Zuko). “Zuko’s wearing Sokka’s lucky jersey.”

Zuko squirmed at the attention, crossing his arms tighter. He didn’t know what the big deal was, but the staring was making him even more uncomfortable - if that was humanly possible.

Thankfully, Aang took upon himself to break the moment. “Hey, we should get going. I want to get some snacks before the game starts.”

“Yeah, sure,” Suki nodded, giving Zuko a huge smile, apparently making peace with whatever the jersey meant. “Let's go, shall we?”

Zuko gave her a small smile back. 

Suki had fallen into step with him, talking excitedly about martial arts and explaining how she trained since she was a little girl. Zuko found himself finally relaxing and being able to have a normal conversation about a topic he liked. Obviously, since the universe liked watching Zuko suffer, that didn’t last long.

When they were almost inside, Katara cleared her throat. “Guys, you go in. I need to talk to Zuko real quick.”

Zuko briefly thought that he was going to shit himself.

“Oh boy,” Toph barked out a laugh.

“O...kay,” Suki frowned but gave two tickets to Katara so they would be able to get in later.

Aang just gave Zuko reassuring thumbs up and a big smile. Such a huge help, really. Zuko tried to stop himself from calling him a bald little fucker.

“I’ll see you guys in a bit,” Zuko said weakly and with a high degree of uncertainty in his voice. He wasn’t sure if he would be alive after that conversation.

Katara said nothing and walked away from the main entrance, so they would have more privacy.

She stopped when they got below the shade of a tree, staring at him with a calculating face. “Sokka is my brother and I love him very much.” 

“Y-Yes?” 

“And he seems to like you. A lot,” she scowled at the jersey Zuko was wearing.

“He does?” Zuko croaked out.

“Apparently,” she shrugged. “But I don’t know you. I don’t know your intentions,” Katara’s eyes burned with a fierce protective look. “And I don’t want Sokka to be hurt.”

Despite all the fear he was feeling, he could see that Katara was being completely honest. Her eyes shone with bright determination, her jaw clenched. She was trying her best to make sure he was someone who would treat Sokka right. 

Zuko tried to calm himself down before speaking. “I really like him. I do,” He felt his cheeks heating up at the admission. “He’s been good to me, and I’ve been trying my damn hardest to be the same for him.”

She stayed silent.

“I-I’m… I don’t know what to say. I just really want to make this work,” Zuko stomach was in twists and his hands shook a bit. “He’s… He’s the best thing that has happened to me in a while.”

She scrutinized him again but seemed to have loosened up after hearing his words. “You passed this test. You seem like a good guy, Zuko,” Katara allowed, giving him a tiny smile. “I was just doing my job as a sister.”

“Spirits, you are scary” Zuko mumbled but smiled back nonetheless. “I thought I was going to shit myself multiple times.”

Katara laughed, seemingly proud of herself. “Good.” 

“He better be worth all this psychological torture,” Zuko tried teasing her, still a bit unsure of what Katara’s reaction would be.

“He is,” she said softly and slipped a hand inside her purse. “Here, let's put some glitter on your face so you can get in the spirit of the game. It’s tradition, after all.”

Zuko was grinning while Katara applied orange glitter to his cheeks and told him silly little anecdotes of growing up with Sokka in the South Pole. When it was done, they finally got in the arena, trying to find their seats.

“So, what’s up with the whole jersey thing?” Zuko tried asking when they had finally located the rest of the gang.

“Oh, that?” Katara smiled at him secretly, “That’s the jersey he was wearing the first time he scored. Sokka doesn’t let anybody touch it… But I guess you are the exception.”

Zuko’s heart raced and jumped inside his chest and he tugged lightly at the jersey’s hem. He didn’t remember feeling that happy in a long time.

***

Hockey was overwhelming. The way the players almost flew on ice, skates sliding and sticks swinging. Sokka was a blurry shape racing back and forth in skilfull moves. He looked good, like he was in his own element. 

Zuko didn’t understand shit about hockey, but he was able to assert that it was pretty brutal. The ruthless checks against the Plexiglas seemed to be bone-crushing. 

Sokka played as a defenseman and got on the ice multiples times during each period. Sokka was very good, never letting the puck get too close to the goalie. He seemed to have an strategy for every scenario, dribbling and shooting tirelessly. 

When the third and final period was almost over, a fight broke out when a player of the opposite team dropped his gloves, making Zuko stand up from his seat. Sokka’s team, the Republic City Badgermoles were winning with a 3-1 score. The tensions had raised significantly with the last few minutes ticking away. 

“Can they actually do that?” Zuko stared down at the court horrified, trying to locate where Sokka was in the middle of the turmoil. 

“Yup,” Suzi said nonchalantly, “It’s pretty common, actually. Don’t worry, the ones who started it are going to the penalty box.”

“And Sokka wears a mouthguard,” Toph added, “So fortunately you won’t have a toothless boyfriend.”

“Sokka isn’t even in the fight,” Katara pointed out, which made Zuko relax a bit and sit back down. “He switched with Haru a little before it broke out.”

Aang winced from where he was seated when the gloveless guys threw punch at the other’s player jaw.

“That was a pretty terrible punch,” Zuko commented, eyeing the honestly pitiful fight. “His stance is all wrong. I knew how to throw a better punch when I was seven.”

The refs finally broke out the fight and the game resumed. 

No one ended up scoring again and the Badgermoles won comfortably. Zuko smiled seeing all the players throwing themselves on top of each other to celebrate, banging their helmets and swatting each others asses with their sticks.

In no time the players were out of the ice and the fans filling the stands were filing out of the arena. Zuko followed Sokka’s friends closely, trying not to get lost or mind too much the crowd.

They met Sokka 20 minutes later, close to a small backdoor meant for staff. 

He looked flushed, his skin freshly cleaned and radiating warmth. He smelled of generic soap and a little bit of sweat. Zuko’s knees buckled a bit at that. 

Sokka looked sated and content, and Zuko couldn’t get the idea of both of them on his bed together, making out lazily with their bodies intertwined. 

“Hey guys!” Sokka smiled tiredly, waving. He didn’t waste any time before making his way toward Zuko and hugging him tight. “Hey you,” he whispered, nuzzling Zuko’s cheek. 

Holy fucking spirits. Zuko was living inside a romcom. And he was fucking  _ thriving _ .

“Hi,” Zuko said weakly. 

Sokka took a step back and stared at him, still holding Zuko by the waist. “You are wearing the jersey. Good.”

“I had a feeling that if I didn’t, you’d actually have a fit,” Zuko shrugged. 

Sokka sticked his tongue out. “You’re lucky I’m too tired to banter, or else you’d be in for a treat.”

Their little bubble was burst by Toph’s gagging noises.

“Oh, c’mon, they’re cute,” Aang smiled from where he stood, holding hands with Katara.

“They are disgusting,” Suki disagreed happily.

“I think what you meant to say was _ disgustingly cute _ ,” Sokka bit back, and threw his - very muscled, oh Agni - arm around Zuko’s shoulders. 

Zuko glared at Sokka, even though he was secretly loving every minute of the attention. “Stop being so sappy. It’s embarrassing.”

“And this, ladies and gentleaang, is my beloved boyfriend Zuko,” Sokka bumped their hips. “Please observe how much he cares for me.”

Zuko started at that. “Wait, what?”

“What?” Sokka asked confusedly.

“What do you mean ‘boyfriend?’” Zuko demanded, arms moving wildly around him.

“Stop wiggling around before you slap Katara in the face,” Sokka laughed. 

“Sorry Katara,” Zuko said quickly before getting to the very pressing matter in question. “You never said... that. That we are... boyfriends.”

Sokka blinked at him. “I thought that was obvious!”

There was a pause.

“Well, not to me,” Zuko crossed his arms.

“Is Zuko… Pouting?” Suki wondered from a few feet away.

“Shush Suki,” Sokka waved his hand dismissively in her direction. “Well,” Sokka cleared his throat. “Do you want to?”

“What?” Zuko knew he was being deliberately difficult. It brought him great joy.

“Be my boyfriend,” Sokka rolled his eyes, reaching for Zuko’s hand. 

“I guess,” Zuko shrugged.

Zuko’s heart soared. He had never had a real boyfriend before. 

“You absolute romance freak,” Sokka chuckled and pecked Zuko’s cheek affectionately.

“Now I take it back,” Zuko pushed Sokka away. “You are mistreating me.”

“Just facts,” Sokka said, nonplussed by Zuko’s antics. “Hey guys-” he added, turning around to where their friends were seconds before.

“Oh,” Zuko looked around. “They are gone.”

“Typical,” Sokka rolled his eyes, pulling his phone out of his duffel bag. “Suki texted. She says that they left because Toph said she was on the verge of developing diabetes, but they all say that it was nice to meet you and they want to see you in our next karaoke night.”

“Sure,” Zuko snorted. “They sure are a wild ride.”

“Was it too scarring?” Sokka pulled Zuko by the hand towards his car, which he had parked nearby.

“I thought your sister was going to murder me,” he stated. “A heads up would have been nice.”

“Ah, the little sister talk,” Sokka unlocked his old pickup truck and they climbed in. “Sorry about that, she’s very protective of me.” He seemed to consider something. “Damn, I wish I had asked her to film your reaction.”

“You menace,” Zuko frowned at him, which only made Sokka smile wider and place a hand on his thigh. 

“That I am,” he chirped and started driving.

“You’re lucky my sister didn’t want to have ‘the talk’ with you or I’d be arranging your funeral now.”

“Why did I have no idea that you have a sister?” Sokka asked mildly, completely dismissing the joke. 

“She’s not a part of my life anymore.” Zuko answered simply. 

It wasn’t simple. Not at all. He didn’t even know if he could still call Azula his sister at that point. 

Sokka only hummed, letting him keep talking if he wished to.

“I-I don’t want to ruin our night,” Zuko shook his head.

They had planned on going back to Zuko’s place after the match. Zuko had everything planned, they were going to order takeout and drink cheap wine and laugh and kiss and-

“It won’t ruin anything,” Sokka squeezed his thigh. “You know I care about you, Zuko. I care about everything that’s got to do with you.”

Zuko nodded weakly. “It’s just… I didn’t want to pull the whole tragic past and waterworks on you yet.”

Sokka considered him. “I won’t be put off by anything you tell me, you know that, right?”

“Shit, stop being so good at being nice to me.” Zuko complained. 

“I’m good at everything.” Sokka waggled his brows. “Now, go ahead and talk. I’m going to take the interstate and we are gonna drive around for awhile.”

Was it too soon to start falling in love?

***

They drove for 3 hours - but it seemed like eternity. 

Zuko didn’t remember ever having talked so much in his life. He talked until his voice was raspy and his throat sore and his cheeks a bit tear-stained. He told Sokka about his awful childhood starting from when his mom went away one day and never came back; about his abusive father, who only cared about money and power and appearances; about how Azula had always been better and more than him in  _ everything.  _

It was almost cathartic, letting it out: how deeply homophobic his family was; how his father had threatened and manipulated him when he found out that Zuko was gay and then proceeded to disown him when Zuko refused to marry a woman and take over his family’s business, a big petrol company. 

He did share with Sokka the good things too: Iroh taking him in as a son, and giving him all the unconditional love he had never experienced before; Mai and Ty Lee becoming his family and support system.

Sokka was a great listener. He nodded and hummed but never interrupted Zuko. 

Zuko still wasn’t comfortable talking about how he had got his scar, but he knew the day would come when he’d tell Sokka all about it as well. 

When they finally climbed down Sokka’s car in front of Zuko’s apartment, bags of takeaway in hand, Zuko couldn’t stop looking at Sokka. He was radiant and bubbly and so stupid. Zuko ached all over. 

He knew it then, with all the certainty he had: Sokka was one of the tinder matches that fit into the category of “capacity of provoking a heartbreak that you cannot recover from, thus ruining you for all other men”.

“Spirits, I’m so hungry that I could eat a whole flying bison,” Sokka rambled, his hand holding Zuko’s. “Don’t tell Aang I said that, please.”

“I won’t,” Zuko laughed, getting his keys out of his pocket.

Instead of the door, however, he came face to face with the last person on earth he was expecting to see. A cigarette cherry glowed in the night and the smell of tobacco made Zuko’s stomach churn.

“Jet.”

To his own surprise, Zuko wasn’t sad or desperate. He was furious - leave it to Jet to ruin a perfectly nice night.

“So this is the reason you are not answering my texts anymore,” Jet stared at them with a condescending smirk.

Zuko felt Sokka tensing up beside him.

“Jet, I thought I was pretty clear when I said that you should move on,” Zuko made his best effort to keep his voice from trembling or breaking. His anxiety was already acting up but he was so  _ fucking angry _ .

“Oh, so this is Jet…” Sokka pondered. “Figures,” he snorted.

“You still can’t shut up about me, huh? Interesting,” Jet raised one eyebrow and took a drag of his cigarette.

The tension was so thick that Zuko could probably have cut it with his swords. Spirits, how he wished he had his swords on him. Zuko tried breathing in and out so he wouldn’t snap but it didn’t work at all. 

“Fuck off, seriously. We’re done,” Zuko scowled.

“Now, don’t go breaking my heart,” Jet said with irony. 

“C’mon, let me karate chop this fucking clown,” Sokka whispered in Zuko’s ear.

“Sokka, you have no idea how to karate chop someone,” Zuko rolled his eyes at him.

“I could try,” he actually  _ pouted _ . “Or you could do it and I could watch!”

Zuko patted his arm and turned to Jet. Just looking at him made Zuko fume.

“I won’t repeat myself,” he glowered at him.

Jet raised his hands in mock surrender. “Well, I won’t stay any longer. I just came here because I was bored and horny. You aren’t worth all this trouble. Toodles, sweetheart.”

Jet threw his cigarette at their feet and saluted them, making his way down the street.

“The fucking NERVE,” Sokka yelled. “YOU FUCKING CLOWN!”

“Sokka!” Zuko tried to chastise him but couldn’t hold back his laughter at the absurdity of the situation. “Stop screaming.”

“What?” Sokka asked, still clearly worked up. 

Zuko laughed and laughed and laughed. He felt good for standing up for himself and turning that page of his life that he couldn’t stop laughing. Sokka looked at him like he had completely lost it, but after a while started smiling back.

“I still think you should have beaten the shit out of him.” 

“You just wanted me to hit him because you think it’s hot,” Zuko bit back, finally opening the door. “You kinky bastard.”

“You know me too well,” Sokka smiled sweetly. “Now hurry, the takeaway is getting cold.” He slapped Zuko’s ass playfully, making him yelp and run up the stairs, giggling madly.

They got to Zuko’s tiny studio in a second, toeing off their shoes and unpacking their Fire Nation spicy noodles and flaming fire flakes on Zuko’s tiny kitchen counter. 

“So, this is your man cave,” Sokka looked around while stuffing his face with noodles. “...Batcave. Or better! Zukocave!”

“How charming,” Zuko said drily, staring at Sokka’s puffed up cheeks.

“I like it,” Sokka ignored Zuko and nodded to himself, staring at the cramped space. 

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” he shrugged.

Zuko looked around and a tiny feeling of pride took over him. From his cramped dresser to the pile of thick books serving as nightstand, that place was his own. It felt good having Sokka over, getting to know Zuko’s own little nook in the world.

They ate and chatted and poked each other with their chopsticks like silly children. 

“I’m so full,” Sokka grumbled after their meal was over as they were sprawling on Zuko’s bed only in their boxers and shirts, drinking cheap wine from chipped mugs.

Sokka looked soft and relaxed and open, his hair down and his eyes bright. Zuko thought that he fit very well right exactly where he was, in Zuko’s bed, smiling right back at him.

“You shouldn’t have eaten so fast,” Zuko tutted, nudging Sokka’s leg with his own.

“I’m a growing boy.”

“Darling, you’re 22 years old,” Zuko rolled his eyes.

“Do my ears deceive me or have I just been graced with a… pet name?” Sokka raised his brows mischievously. 

“Shut up,” Zuko blushed.

“Say it again,” Sokka asked, making puppy eyes. “Zuko, say it again, please. Please-”

“Never,” he scowled.

Sokka seemed to consider him for a second. “Then you leave me no options,” Sokka said resolutely. “I will have to take drastic measures.”

Before Zuko was able to process that information, Sokka was toppling over him, tangling their legs. Their chests pressed together. His lips found Zuko’s neck, and Sokka blew the wettest, most disgusting raspberry ever.

Zuko’s whole body spasmed and contorted as the giggles tore out of him in a steady stream of high pitched sounds. “SOKKA! You oaf!”

“Call me darling again,” Sokka whined, his fingers finding Zuko’s quivering stomach.

“Never!” Zuko wheezed as Sokka tickled him merciless.

Zuko disentangled himself from Sokka and got out of the bed, running around the room and cackled madly while Sokka chased after him. Their laughs echoed through the tiny apartment in big bursts of joy. 

Sokka finally got Zuko, grabbing him by the waist and throwing Zuko back on the bed as if he weighed nothing. Sokka smiled down at him and the light coming from the lamp behind him made a small halo form around his head.

“Last chance,” Sokka threatened with a smirk. 

“Fuck, okay,” Zuko glared at him. “But just because I’m about to piss my pants.”

Sokka only smiled expectantly.

“Darling, will you stop being so fucking infuriating?” Zuko said sweetly, batting his eyelashes at Sokka.

Sokka's smile was the brightest thing in the room. “Sure thing, baby.”

It made Zuko’s chest tighten, and he pulled Sokka towards him, so they could go back to being tangled together in bed. 

“Are we going to be the kind of couple that uses pet names?” Zuko teased, their noses almost brushing from how close they were to each other. “Are we actively making this decision?”

“Hell yeah,” Sokka grinned, throwing his arm over Zuko’s hip and playing with the hem of his jersey.

They stared at each other for a bit, blue eyes meeting golden ones. 

“I want to tell you something,” Sokka whispered, giving a peck on Zuko’s lips and then on his nose. “I’ve always known I was attracted to men… But you’re the first one I’ve ever liked.”

Zuko smiled, tracing one of Sokka’s eyebrows with his thumb.

“Hell, I don’t think I’ve liked anyone this much before.” Sokka added breathlessly.

Upon hearing that, Zuko kissed Sokka silly. He kissed him until their lips were tired and sticky; until Zuko wasn’t sure who was who anymore, their bodies blurring together. He petted Sokka’s jaw, licked his neck, squeezed his shoulders.

After, still high from Sokka’s kisses, Zuko mumbled a faint, “Me too.”

Sokka ran his fingers through Zuko’s already messy hair, detangling his messy strands. 

“So…” Sokka wondered, brushing their noses together. “Now that you’ve already seen my stick, when do I get to see your sword?” 

Zuko glared at Sokka, who was biting his lips to hold back a laugh.

“How long did you wait to say that one?”

“Too long,” Sokka bursted out laughing while Zuko hit him repeatedly with a pillow.

It was pure bliss.

***

Zuko jostled awake when he heard a knock on his door. He blinked his eyes open and grimaced at the sunlight coming in from his window. He tried moving, but Sokka’s heavy weight on top of him kept him in place.

“Get that, will you?” Zuko mumbled, pinching Sokka’s hip to wake him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sokka said sleepily, and rolled away from him.

Zuko watched Sokka’s back as he stood up, rubbing his eyes with his fists. Sokka was only wearing his stupid hockey themed boxers and Zuko’s old Kung Foo Panda shirt. 

Zuko stretched luxuriously, remembering how happy he had felt the previous night. He was still wearing Sokka’s lucky jersey and everything (his sheets, his pillows, himself) smelled faintly of Sokka.

He watched from the bed as Sokka opened the door, saying a small “hi” before a high-pitched squeal shattered the peaceful morning silence. 

“Mai, am I dreaming or is there a really hot boy in Zuko’s apartment?” Ty Lee’s overexcited voice asked.

Zuko’s eyes widened in pure horror. He quickly calculated his chances of escaping out of the window. Sokka was a big boy, he could probably deal with the girls himself.

He saw Mai’s shark-like smirk from where he was trying to hide under his sheets. 

“I don’t know what is more likely: we collectively hallucinating or Zuko actually managing to pull that,” Mai eyed Sokka.

Sokka looked between them confusedly. “Who are you people?”

With a sigh, Zuko got up from his bed, ignoring Ty Lee’s second squeal as she saw the hockey jersey he was wearing. “Mai and Ty Lee, this is Sokka. My-”

“Boyfriend!” Sokka smiled happily, stretching out a hand. “Nice to meet you. Now, what were you saying about me being ho-”

“Oh, spirits,” Zuko covered Sokka’s mouth with his hand to stop him from talking anymore.

Sokka immediately licked his palm, ripping a grimace out of Zuko and making him mutter a few curses.

Ty Lee giggled and Mai rolled her eyes. 

“So… After you invite us in, Zuko,” Mai said drily. “Please do explain how you two met.”

Zuko gave her the finger.

But, as usual, Zuko was being overly dramatic, and telling his two best friends about his stupid boyfriend while said stupid boyfriend made coffee and cracked jokes wasn’t that bad… Overall, it was kind of nice. 

Maybe the warm feeling whirling in his chest was love. He wasn’t completely sure yet, but he felt he was very close to finding out. 

Zuko thought he could grow used to feeling that happy. With Sokka beside him, of course. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... this has been a wild ride lmao i had a lot of fun writing this! 
> 
> i was wondering if any of you would be interested in something like an epilogue or one-shot of zuko and sokka's domestic life in the future... please let me know! i don't wanna overdo it tho lmao
> 
> if u want to chat, my tumblr is [dumbwaves](https://dumbwaves.tumblr.com/)
> 
> and again, thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos and commenting!


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